7 DC Villains Who Destroyed Batman

Batman is DC Comics‘ toughest human, having spent years transforming his body and mind into the perfect weapon against evil. The Dark Knight is basically superhuman; he’s trained himself to such an extent that he can pull off feats that other humans couldn’t hope to match. He’s been able to battle superhuman foes without any kind of enhancements, only having to resort to tricks like armor or super-weapons with the most powerful of foes. The Caped Crusader will fight anyone at any power level, and he usually comes out of these battles pretty well. He’s the best of the best; even the most powerful villains can barely hurt Gotham’s greatest protector.

However, he’s still only human in a world full of enemies who often are just as skilled as he is. Sometimes, their powers levels are such that they dwarf him or they know how to exploit his weaknesses, allowing to do the impossible: hurt the Dark Knight badly. These seven DC villains destroyed Batman, handing him some savage beatings.

7) The Black Glove

Grant Morrison’s run on Batman is outstanding. You can split it into three acts, and the first ended with the Dark Knight getting out-maneuvered by a new group of villains. The Black Glove was led by the mysterious Dr. Hurt, with members like Cardinal Maggi, Sir Anthony, General Malenkov, Al-Khidr, and Senator Vine, all devoted to a twisted cycle of death and rebirth in Gotham City. The group had been manipulating events behind Batman’s back, spriging a trap that devastated the hero completely, leaving him a drug-addicted homeless man. They beat him physically and spiritually, breaking him down and forcing him to build back up even stronger.

6) Ra’s al Ghul

Ra’s al Ghul is one of Batman’s most formidable foes, and has taken the hero down a peg or three numerous times over the years. Ra’s has centuries of experience in battle, and the Lazarus Pits give him superhuman strength, speed, and agility; if there’s anyone who could be said to be superior to him, it’s al Ghul. He’s one of the most skilled sword fighters in the world, and has beaten the Dark Knight numerous times in sword fights. He’s even been able to kill the Caped Crusader more than once, putting him in the Lazarus Pits to bring him back and begin the cycle again. There are few villains out there who have as many wins in combat over Batman as the Demon’s Head.

5) Perpetua

Perpetua is one of DC Comics’ greatest killers, operating on a scale that most villains will never reach. She was a Hand, an order of beings that created multiverses. She made the DC Multiverse to be her ultimate weapon, desiring dominion over the omniverse, but was defeated when her sons the Monitor, the Anti-Monitor, and the World-Forger turned against her and helped the Hands defeat her. She was imprisoned outside the Source Wall, but when the battle against Barbatos broke it, she returned. She battled the Justice League many times, and was able to defeat the team to conquer the multiverse. Batman was killed in this battle, leading to him using a Black Lantern ring to return.

4) Reverse Flash

Reverse Flash is one of the most dangerous villains in the multiverse, but he mostly goes after Barry Allen, saving other heroes from his insane power levels and brutality. However, in “The Button”, the villain ended up in the Batcave and ran afoul of the Dark Knight. Thawne used his super speed to rock Batman’s world, bashing him numerous times in a few seconds. The only reason Batman survived was because he threw batarangs in the villain’s feet, slowing him down just long enough to get one rollicking roundhouse in. It was a savage beating while it lasted, and Batman was nearly killed.

3) Darkseid

Darkseid is the God of Evil, one of the most powerful villains in the DC Multiverse. He’s usually out of Batman’s league, battling on a greater scale than the Dark Knight does. However, Bats is a member of the Justice League, so he sometimes has to deal with the villain and most of these times, Darkseid has destroyed the Caped Crusader in battle. The hero usually goes into the fight with some kind of special weapons but few things can match the power of the Lord of Apokolips. And, of course, there was the time when the Omega Sanction threw Gotham’s guardian into the time stream. Batman has the plans but Darkseid has the power.

2) Bane

Bane has become one of Batman’s greatest villains, and has been handing Ls to the Caped Crusader since he first showed up. In order to survive Santa Prisca’s worst prison he made himself into one of the most dangerous men on the planet, especially once he added Venom to the mix. He’s on the Dark Knight’s level when it comes to skill, and has been able to do a lot of damage to the hero. He broke Batman’s back and beaten him so badly he’s had to abandon Gotham City. Few villains are as successful against everyone’s favorite rodent of the night.

1) The Joker

The Joker is Batman’s most deranged arch-nemesis, the two of them locked in a death spiral with Gotham City in the middle. Over the years, the two have had some tremendous battles, and the Clown Prince of Crime has been able hurt the Dark Knight pretty badly in a lot of those fights. On more than one occasion, the Joker has nearly killed his foe and has actually succeeded him at least once in “Endgame”. Their battles reach levels that none others could match, both of them damaging the other every chance they can get.

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